Do any police depts/federal agencies still issue revolvers?

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Yes . . . they, too, back in Marcinko's day; however, of course, they now have a variety of available SAs (in various calibers) from which to choose depending on specific mission requirements not to mention other "black" toys at their disposal . . . ;)
 
WC145:
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Lighten up, Francis - . . . pick out what you consider relevant and ignore the rest.

Not to follow your own advice seems to me to be more than just a little hypocritical . . . but . . . other than for your sarcasm, thanks for at least staying on point . . .
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It's a joke, obviously you've never seen Stripes, it was a classic scene -

Psycho: The name's Francis Soyer, but everybody calls me Psycho. Any of you guys call me Francis, and I'll kill you.
Leon: Ooooooh.
Psycho: You just made the list, buddy. And I don't like nobody touching my stuff. So just keep your meat-hooks off. If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you. Also, I don't like nobody touching me. Now, any of you homos touch me, and I'll kill you.
Sergeant Hulka: Lighten up, Francis.

Oops, there I go, off topic again!:neener:
 
There are departments that require officers to buy their own guns; I was a reserve (read "unpaid) officer, and each of us had to use the gun we had. The main advantage of a SA is that it has the firepower, and most cops don't want to be outgunned by the bad guys (even though a firefight is a statistical rariety). A revolver is my first choice for a back up, as it never jams, never mis-feeds, and never, ever hit you in the face.
 
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A revolver is my first choice for a back up, as it never jams, never mis-feeds, and never, ever hit you in the face.
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You have neglected to, or purposely left out, some relevant information regarding revolver failures. It's just a change in problems.

Revolvers do have bullets jump crimp, go out of time and lock up when crud gets in the wrong spot.

Would you fire a revolver that had gunk stuck in the front of the cylinder? Drop one in the mud and find out.
 
They also compensate for small dicks. A revolver is my first choice for a back up, as it never jams, never mis-feeds, and never, ever hit you in the face.
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You're a funny guy, Fred!

Actually, I did have a revolver hit me in the face once, true this.

When I was just a pup (college, about 21 or so) I went to my first ever bowling pin shoot, put on by the local tactical shooting club. I took what I had at the time, which amounted to exactly one K-frame 64-NY (a bead blasted 4-inch DAO NYPD surplus overrun; it was the coolest thing I could afford). Of course, I get there and there are all these older guys–some ex-military–with all manner of big autos, epecially 1911s, with wide mouth 200-230 grain hollowpoints for teaching those pins a lesson.

I was a little intimidated, to say the least.

I had exhibited the good sense to lay in a couple of boxes of the hottest thing I could find for my little wheely; some corbon 158g LSWCHP at definite +P+ loading–reportedly good for well over 1000fps out of a 4-inch 64.

So, my turn finally comes up, and I’m practically shaking; I figure for all the world that I’m going to look like (at best) the complete newbie dweeb and (at worst) like a total friggin’ idiot for bringing a .38 revolver to a pinfight.

The mark goes off and, doing my best to control my breathing (and not a very good job of it at that, I’d add), I concentrate on doing what I’ve been taught: high hand, crush grip, hunker down, front sight, press, etc… and I center punch the first pin. I mean dead center, and the pin goes straight back off the table as the corbon slug flattens like a pancake against the front of the pin’s poly coating, immediately expending almost all of its energy; but yet leaving just enough for the quarter-shaped hunk of lead to come straight back at me and hit me directly on the bridge of my nose, right under my rose-colored shooting glasses, cutting my pointy snout.

Whatever it was that I was expecting/imagining to go wrong that day–which was plenty–I certainly didn’t expect that! Adrenaline being what it was though, I shook it off and cleared the remaining 4 pins.

Now, lest some of you think this is inet BS, I will state for the record that none other than simply rugged’s Rob Leahy was standing next to me as RO at the time. At end of volley, he asked if I was OK, and then picked up the slug and handed it to me, telling me “that’s one for your medicine bag, right there.” I’m pretty sure that’s the moment I went from “that bothersome leftist college kid who comes into the store” to “that bothersome leftist college kid who can shoot”!

We always got along really well after that.
 
Crebralfix: Well, yes, you use cheap ammo, or ammo that is too heavy for the gun, and there can be a jump crimp, but I've never experienced it in over thirty years of shooting. I did experience ammo not firing, if it were too cheap, and one time I bent my moon clip and the wheel failed to open after firing. As to dropping it into the mud, I would prefer a Smith and Wesson to a Glock any day. The truth is, you have to use good ammo, unbent moonclips, pick a revolver with a recoil you can handle, clean and maintain it, etc. Also--I have used an SA that has never jammed, mis-fed, or hit me in the eye with a stray casing. Star's Firestar, in .40 caliber. No wonder they don't make them anymore. The XD comes close to that perfection, but it did mis-feed once on me. I find the whole revolver vs. SA debate a little tedious. For concealibility and firepower, go SA. For reliability, magnum penetration, go revolver. And there are gorgeous guns in both categories. The solution: buy at least one of each. I'm just stating my preference for back up guns--revolvers. I carry a SA as a service pistol.
 
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Sidheshooter: I actually meant the shell casing hitting me in the face. Although I got a Lady Smith for my wife, and the gun hit her in the head. For any magnum revolver, (and apparently for a .38 too), you need to have the right push-pull grip, the Weaver stance, the whole bit. Thanks for sharing your story; we all need to remember our humble beginnings.
 
back in 2005 & 2006 I worked in the OR of a local hospital in Camp Hill, PA and one of the orthopedic surgeons used to perform surgeries for prisoners housed in a state corrections facility nearby; the prisoners were escorted by 2 guards & one was armed with a S&W revolver of some sort; I never got the nerve to go over and ask what model & caliber (the hospital is run by a very 'antivolence' oriented group...one of the charity groups affiliated with Catholic Church); my best guess would be a stainless model 64 or 67 and some sort of .38 spl +p 125gr sjhp...a long time issue load for government based agencies
 
Revolvers vs. Semi-Auto's

Back to the topic: Yes, there are bad cops, and cops, as Mayor Delay said, "Are not here to creater dis order, they are here to preserve dis order." In other words, they will preserve the injustices of the system as well as justice-it is up to we the people to fix the injustice. And a cop needs honor and courage. A semi-automatic is polymer courage. There are times when they can't be beat. There was a case on Court TV where the cops ended up in a fire fight, and a 15 round Glock was not enough. Other times, when they shoot a groom or a deaf man 41 times, that maybe a more--um, skilled--approach is necessary.

As to 40 rounds vs. 18; as the man says, if you don't miss, you don't need the firepower. I agree with the brother who said that he doesn't feel outgunned as long as his revolver is a .357, .44 special, or. 45.

With moon clips, you can re-load and fire as many rounds as a semi automatic at the same speed. I do it with my .45. Speed loaders are a little slower.

As the assault rifle ban debate, which will be rekindled in the Obama Nation, points out--appearances are important. A semi-automatic, a Glock or a Springfield Service Pistol looks like a good guy gun, which is important if your shirt rises up in Concealed Carry; a No. 29 looks like what it is, a Dirty Harry gun, and some semi-automatics look scary (like a Tec 9) and are associated with bad guys.

I think cops should carry two duty guns--a semi automatic for the firefight and a revolver for ordinary use. And definately a revolver for backup; a semi-automatic and revolver combo, as Ayoob points out, is unbeateable.
 
The main reason that police departments nationwide switched from revolvers to semi autos was the TV show "Miami Vice". You can blame it all on Don Johnson. I'm not kidding. As far as Richard Marcinko is concerned, his guys can shoot. Anything you hand them. Woe be to anyone on his team that could not produce expert marksmanship on demand 24 hours a day.
 
as it never jams
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?????? When I went through the academy in the mid 70's we had many revolvers get jammed up. Ever have and extractor rod back out? We had a bunch of Trooper MkIII's have parts break. Any firearm can jam.

We transitioned to SA before that show ever came on the air. We were not the first in NJ as many started the move to Beretta 92 and S&W second gen SA. The show was laughable at best. I don't know anyone who actually took it seriously.
 
"Cops [this] . . . "
"Cops [that] . . ."
"Police [the other] . . . "

There are two types of people in the world:
1. those who talk
2. those who are talked about
 
My friend in the NCIS carries a Smith 19-2 4-inch Round butt red ramp gun marked "O.N.I." (Office of Naval Intelligence) sent to the Navy in 1972. Nice gun. He carries it every day with the FBI load, and three speedloaders. They issued him that, and a Sig M-11 (P228) and soon they will be switching to 229s in .40, but he gets to keep the revolver, for now. LOTS of 158-grain +P SWCHP in white boxes with NSNs in the office. LOTS.
 
kmrcstintn:

Guards from White Hill doing prisoner transport/escort probably still have some revolvers today. They likely still have lever action rifles on the towers. Unless the trend has changed since I worked LE in the area there, they likely still have the same old equipment.

But most cops today want and carry semis. Oddly though, some of the old revolver boys still outshoot the auto shooters, but they are simply better shots.
 
My agency, the Arkansas Department of Corrections, still issues the Smith and Wesson Model 64. In fact, I have to qualify with it again in May. Our official shotgun is the Remington 870 and our official rifle is the Mini-14. Guys in "special" units get the .40Glock and the AR-15.
 
It must have been in the late 1990s. A motorist tried to run over a California Highway Patrol officer who had stopped him on a moving violation. This was on TV. When the motorist put the car in gear the officer drew his autoloader and emptied it at the driver who drove off. The officer then looked at the empty autoloader in his hand. The look of disgust on his face was memorable. I imagined he was pining for a Python with a six inch barrel and some real ammunition- CorBon 200 grain "Penetrators"..
 
ST6 used SW 686's primarilly because a stainless revolver would withstand the corrosion of a maritime environment, and was a reliable mechanism. Im sure there are still wheelguns in the inventory, but thats mostly because those guys can carry whatever the hell they want...upto and including a ruger blackhawk.

And like the clip vs mag arguement, I cant help but chuckle when I see a crime reporter refer to an officers "service revolver" when the gun in the picture is usually a glock. Its one of those phrases ingrained in the lexicon, regardless of the times...but that will forever go unnoticed by non-gun people.
 
ah, no. The nice people at Naval Special Warfare Center in VA Beach, do NOT get to carry whatever they want. Well, ok, they do, if you mean, Sig 226 or Beretta M-9, pick "whatever you want". The 686s got De-milled during Clinton's reign. Like about 5500 of our 1911s and full-auto M-14s. Some ships had Victory models left, and some of us have the qual in our record, but most of those are gone, daddy gone.
There was a carrier with moonclipped 1917s in the armory, but they are gone, too. (in the last ten years)
 
My father-in-law carried a Model 19 until he retired, even though his department issued Sig's in the early 90's. He said several of the older cops carried revolvers to the end of their careers. He also said newer cops did'nt get a choice, only the older guys with less than ten years left. (Grandfathered)
 
My interest in 3" model 66's was started by a detective in High Point NC.

I had jury duty, and saw him carrying it. I wanted one ever since.

I asked him about it when the jury duty was over. He worked for the district attorney, and was allowed to carry whatever he wished. He said that the 3" 66 was the perfect self defense handgun, and that "the purpose of a handgun was to enable you to fight your way to your shotgun".

I asked him if he got alot of ribbing from the Glock carrying officers, and he said, "Till they see me shoot". ;)
 
I was watching "The First 48" last week and they had a case in Birmingham, Alabama.

An older black woman homicide detective was wearing some kind of 4" revolver in what appeared to be a Kydex holster.
Round guns are still out there.
 
Was in Little Rock, AR Federal Building recently and noticed the security at entrances had revolvers. Did not get in any detailed discussion with them but the grips looked like Ruger GP100's. They all had the old style rubber grips with wood inserts. These could have been contract security and not federal employees.
 
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